Celebrates champs

The Fort Scott Community College Meats Judging Team will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Thursday, November 16 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus.

The team is the 2017A-Division National Champion Meats Judging Team.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and our coach, Jenilee Martin,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said. “They represent us well. In the last four years, they have won it three times.”

“This was a good bunch,” Coach Jenilee Martin said. “They went through a lot of adversity and came out with a good year.”

Changes: Martin To Resign

Martin, the three-time national championship coach of the team will be resigning  December 20, according to Kassie Fugate-Cate, director of strategic communication at FSCC.

She will take a position with the  Kansas State Extension Office in Hill City, after working at FSCC for four years, Martin told FortScott.Biz.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great people here,” Martin said. “I came back to FSCC because they cared about their students and the opportunities they give the students.”

“Students, faculty, and staff have taught me a lot of lessons,” she said. “It’s been a fun go.”

“We are saddened that she is going, but we know she’ll be successful wherever she goes,” President Johnston said.

Martin was also a one-half time admissions representative in addition to her coaching duties.

Johnston said the position to replace Martin will change when advertised, from a recruiter to an advisor position.

Changes: FSCC Hires New Administration Employees

Fort Scott Community College recently hired Kassie Fugate-Cate as the newly created position of Director of Strategic Communication. Previously she was an admissions representative at FSCC.  In addition, she will remain as Student Activities Coordinator. She started November 6 in her new position. Cate is a resident of Pittsburg.

“We combined positions to use our resources as efficiently as we can,” President Johnston said. “Kassie is getting her masters in public relations.”

Amanda Downing is a new admissions representative, taking the prior position filled by Fugate-Cate. She started November 13.

Also new to the administration at FSCC is Jordan Underwood who is the financial aid assistant that started this semester. Underwood hales from Crestline.

Kansas Department of Transportation and Bourbon County Public Works have both been working on roadways south of Fort Scott.

People who use Calvary Road will soon have access again, according to Priscilla Peterson, Public Affairs Manager with the Kansas Department of Transportation District 4.

Cherry Grove Baptist Church sits at the intersection of Calvary Rd. and  U.S. 69 Hwy. where the access is closed currently.

“Right now they are doing a re-route behind the church,” Peterson said. “If the weather is good, the Calvary Road access should be opened by the end of the month.”

KDOT personnel makes an effort to contact people before limiting access to a road, Peterson said.

The Calvary Road closure is part of the improvements being made to U.S. 69 Hwy.

The six-mile highway expansion to a four-lane upgradeable expressway, with access points, was started in March 2017 and is scheduled for completion November 2018, according to Peterson.

Two-way U.S. 69 Hwy. traffic is being maintained while building the new lanes, she said.

County Roads Converted From Asphalt To Gravel

Two county roads south-east of Fort Scott have been ripped up this year to eventually be improved, according to a county official.

Eagle Road between 69 Hwy. and 250th Street and 230th Street between Kansas and Jayhawk Roads were converted from asphalt back to gravel.

“This is part of a process,” Jim Harris, Bourbon County Public Works director, said. “We did several miles last year.”

“We turn it back into gravel, then our goal is to overlay on top in the spring,” Harris said. “We do a manual contraction, but leaving it over the winter helps with compaction.”

Exactly what improvements these roads receive is up to the Bourbon County Commissioners.

In March the Bourbon County Commission holds a public meeting annually to discuss the priorities for road repair and maintenance.

“We’ll have a work session on roads, ” Harris said. “I make recommendations about repair or maintain, the commission decides.It’s a public meeting. In March the road priorities are determined by the commission. They decide what roads we are going to reclaim.”

The gravel road has left at least one Garland area resident re-routing his travel.

“It’s so bad I don’t go down that way,” Raymond Kalm said. “It’s too rough and too dusty.”

A piece of equipment called a lightning arrester, failed Saturday about 3:30 p.m. in the southern part of Fort Scott and some rural areas south of town. Power was restored in stages between 5 and 6 p.m., according to Gina Penzig, media relations manager with Westar Energy.

“It was in a sub-station that serves Fort Scott,” Penzig said.

About 3,000 customers of Westar, were affected, she said.

Penzig encourages people while the power is on and the weather is fine to download the Westar app, mywestar and/or sign up for text alerts.

To register for text alerts on a mobile phone, text 97827 and send “reg”. Then if there is a power outage in the future, text to that same number and send “out” for the outage, she said.

Calling 1-800-544-4857 or 1-800-LIGHTKS is another way to tell of a power outage and a person can also go to westarenergy.com and report it there, Penzig said.  Click “Outage Center” to see the map of the affected area and how to prepare for an outage.

“On the outage map, you can see if someone is on the way and an outline of the affected area and when electricity will be back on,” she said.

It is best to prepare ahead of time for power outages with a storm kit of bottled water, batteries, charging up a cell phone, and making sure flashlights are working, she said. For an extensive list of preparedness, see the website.

“For winter storms, we usually have advance notice of severe weather,” Penzig said.

If power lines are down, assume they are live and call 911, she said.

Check for damage to electric meter boxes and the power line that attaches to the house.

“If the damage is to those items, you may need an electrician before we can safely reconnect power,” she said.

Using the different messages received from Westar, “You will want to see if you should stay home or find shelter somewhere else she said. In addition, check on neighbors safety, she added.

Local helping agencies, businesses, and organizations were presented with grant awards Thursday morning as part of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee, at the Landmark Bank in downtown Fort Scott.

“From the interest of the general endowment fund, we are handing out $30,000 today,” Blake Hudson, chairman of the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation (FSACF) board, said. “Last year $150,000 was raised for the general fund.”

Hudson said a new fundraising campaign is set to begin with FSACF.

This year, 29 entities submitted grant applications this year, with 18 funded, he said.

Grant committee members are Hudson, Stephanie Witt, Greg Mottley, Larry Seals, Patty LaRoche and adviser, Dave Martin.

LaRoche is committee chair of the granting committee.

The Beacon inadvertently did not receive a check at the coffee and will at a later date. The helping agency received a grant to add healthy food additions to the food pantry they facilitate.

New wayfinding signs will soon dot the walking/biking trails in Fort Scott and Uniontown.

With $7,500 received in late summer from The American Planning Associations  Kansas Chapter and Pathways to Healthy Kansas, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team will provide information kiosks to be placed around the county, according to Jody Hoener, member of the team.

Hoener is also a member of the sub-committee tasked with pulling the kiosk project together. Also serving on the sub-committee are Todd Farrell, Frank Halsey, Lindsay Madison,  and Jerry Witt.

Each kiosk will have maps of the trail and the surrounding community placed on them for reference to walkers/bikers using the trails, Hoener said.

The 10- foot- long, four-foot-wide and nine- feet -high wooden signs with roofs will be placed at Riverfront Loop Road,  Bell Town Trail,  the new trail at Gunn Park, Ellis Park Trail,  Fort Scott Community College Trail, Industrial Park Trail, and in the western part of the county, the Uniontown Trail.

The construction of the kiosks is being completed by Fort Scott High School Carpentry Classes, under the instruction of Larry Lawrence.

Lawrence was looking for community projects for his students to work on, he said.

This summer, Fort Scott Superintendent of Parks Todd Farrell called with the kiosk idea, Lawrence said.

Two carpentry classes have been working on them since school started, Lawrence said.

“We are building four (kiosks) right now, and maybe four in the spring,” Lawrence said.

“They gave me the initial plans and I created them in more detail on AutoCAD (computer-aided design),” Lawrence said.

Simon Ballou will do the artwork for the kiosks and Darren Crays will print and apply the work on plastic panels, Crays said.

“Frank Halsey is going to take them to his place (following completion),” Lawrence said. “He’ll keep them until the city is ready to put them up.”

New sidewalks to be unveiled Nov. 14

In addition to wayfaring signs, the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team has been planning for more sidewalks in the county.

That team, along with PedNet will be at both the Fort Scott City Commission and the Uniontown City Council  November 14 to show the results of the sidewalk plans, according to its Facebook page. They will unveil the proposed non-motorized transportation plan from 5-6 p.m.  at the Fort Scott City Hall, 123 S. Main, and from 7-8 p.m. at Uniontown City Hall, 206 Sherman, on the east side of the square.

PedNet is a non-profit consulting firm specializing in Safe Routes to School, non-motorized transportation, and nutrition, according to the Facebook page.

U.S. military veterans can enjoy a dance, show off their uniform, or if they can’t fit in that uniform anymore, show off the medals earned while serving their country.  For veterans, the dance, a semi-formal ball, is free of charge.

Memorial Hall, 1 East Third, will be the venue for that dance to honor military veterans in a unique way on November 11 from 7 to 10:30 p.m.

Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site (FFSNHS )decided to have a second ball, following the Labor Day Grand Ball they facilitated last year in honor of the centennial of the National Park Service.

“Everybody had a great time,” Dee Young, member of the Friends group, said of the ball last year. “People asked ‘When is the next one?'”

That began Young thinking about another event, this one to honor vets. She brought the idea to the Friends board, who decided a ball was a great way to honor veterans, she said.

Veterans who wear their uniform or bring military identification of some sort, a ribbon or medal, for example,  will get in for free.

Since the theme of Fort Scott National Historic Site is looking at life at the fort on the prairie in the 1840s, other attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate period clothing to the ball. Or, alternately semi-formal party wear may be worn.

Sweet and savory refreshments will be served and all proceeds go to the FFSNHS organization.

Don’t know how to dance like people in the 1840s?

1800s style dance lessons will be offered for free from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the day of the event, November 11, at the fort, in the Grand Hall.  Street clothes are appropriate for the dance lessons, Young said.

Tickets for the ball: general public– $20 in advance/$25 at the door per person or two for $30 in advance/$40 at the door;  FFSNHS members– $15 in advance/$20 at the door; and children 12 and under and dance observers– $5. 

All proceeds go to the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Each year the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site provide a meal for the citizens following the U.S. Naturalization Ceremony on the grounds of the fort, they also serve ice cream at the fort’s Independence Day celebration and provide educational programs throughout the year as well.

Other 2017 activities the FFSNHS group helped with: the Native Neighbors event, a  Fort Scott Community Foundation grant to help with the 175th anniversary of the fort,  a grant for youth engagement at the fort through an Irby Family grant, a Sunflower Castle Home Tour, a Candlelight Tour in December, the Friends Fest 2017, Dancing With Our Stars 2017,Every Kid In A Park Grant,  and drinks during the solar eclipse.

Candlelight Tour

Tomorrow is the first day that tickets for the annual Candlelight Tour at Fort Scott National Historic Site go on sale. Tickets should be purchased early for choice of times. Usually, all tickets sell out, according to the fort’s website. This year’s tours will be offered December 1 and 2. Tours on December 1, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and go every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. On Saturday, December 2, the tours will run from 5 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 620-223-0310 or by coming to the visitor center at the fort. The fort is located at the north end of downtown Fort Scott. Tickets are $8. each and are non-refundable. Children 5 and under are free.

Last month a collaboration of Fort Scott Farmer’s Market, Chamber of Commerce, city personnel and downtown merchants led to the first ever 3rd Saturday Fort Scott Marketplace.

The September event went well, according to Lindsay Madison, executive director of the chamber.

Tomorrow the North Main section of the downtown area will once again be cordoned off for vendors. This will be the last marketplace this year.

“This is the second one,” Madison said. “The plan is to set it up for May to October next year. Which is when Fort Scott Farmer’s Market is open.”

Fresh produce vendors, downtown merchants, and other organizations will take advantage of the warm weather to sell their wares from 8 a.m. to noon.

Papa Don’s Pizza, 10 N. Main will take its turn doing “Breakfast on the Bricks,” which is the breakfast offering each farmer’s market day.  On the menu are breakfast pizza, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and juice.

Breakfast on the Bricks gets its name from the brick Main Street in Fort Scott.

Downtown merchants The Iron Star and J & W Sportshop will be open early for the event.

A free spinal screening will be offered by Hartman Spine and Joint.

Other vendors will be Trinity Lutheran Church, Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, and Gold Canyon Decor, to name a few.

Continuing from last month, city golf carts will be available to transport people or purchases to their cars, say, for instance, produce vendor Ronnie Brown’s pumpkins.

One of the goals of the chamber is to boost the benefit of the downtown stores and farmer’s market, Madison said.

October 28 will be the last Fort Scott Farmer’s Market for 2017.